


Practice Makes Perfect

by WhimsyNeptune



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Love Confessions, Mild Angst, Nervous Regina, Oblivious Emma, protective regina, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-11-28 14:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11419689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhimsyNeptune/pseuds/WhimsyNeptune
Summary: Hook has abandoned Emma after she saw him about to burn his memory. Regina is tired of seeing the sheriff mope around because of the worthless pirate and decides to do something about it, but when Regina and Emma are left alone at the bar, Regina begins to wonder if she should just admit her feelings to Emma once and for all. Will she do it? If she does, will Emma feel the same way?Previously Posted on Fanfiction.net





	Practice Makes Perfect

Emma Swan was perfect. The blonde woman was muscular, strong, independent, hard working, loyal to a fault, and honest. She could defend herself without needing to rely on anyone else to do it for her, and she was loveable. In fact, she was so loveable that she had stolen Regina's heart over five years ago.

The mayor was currently on her way to the sheriff's station, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. As she got to the door, she quickly took her Sephora compact mirror out of her pocket and checked her hair and makeup. She may not have been dating the sheriff, but she still wanted to try to look her best so that she might make the blonde want to be dating her. As she walked through the station door, she saw the young blonde standing with her father presumably talking about the stacks of files on her desk. She looked so focused and so gorgeous that Regina's heart fluttered.

The Mayor decided just to make a random entrance and get straight to the reason she was here. "I've got just the thing to mend a broken heart," Regina announces cheerfully as she displayed the rolled up paper in her hand.

"Whatever spell that is, I don't want it. I'm seriously not in the mood for magic." Emma said bluntly.

"Well who said anything about magic?" Regina asked as she opened up the coupon and showed it to the blonde and her father. "It's a two for one drink coupon at that new pub! Æsop's Tables. It'd be a shame to waste it!" She said as she handed it to the father of the woman she loved.

As he inspected it, David spoke. "Really? You think half priced liquor is the way to go?"

"I certainly do! We need a ladies night out. Me, and Emma... And… Snow." Regina said.

Emma took a deep breath. "Well, Remember she's in a sleeping curse. She's… at home, asleep."

"Well, she doesn't have to be asleep," Regina said indignantly as she looked to David expectantly.

The deputy looks at Regina and suddenly realizes what she was implying. "Oh come on! I just woke up!" He declares incredulously.

Regina gives him a stern look, and he surrenders with a huff. "I guess she doesn't have to be asleep."

Regina smiled triumphantly as the man walked past her towards the door and handed her back the coupon. She gestured to Emma to come with her when Emma spoke.

"I can't. I'm going on patrol." The blonde says as she moves her way to the tiny office in the back. "And shouldn't you be trying to break that curse?"

"Well, I'm working on it! But I could use a break. We all could."

Emma threw some paperwork on her desk causing Regina to huff in exasperation. All she wanted to do was be there for the woman she loves, and make her smile again. She genuinely wished she had killed the pirate when she had the chance, back before he crawled his way into Emma's heart and broke it.

"I know you're hurting, and I know you're trying to hide it because you're... _Emma_ , but you can't just run from this." The former queen said cautiously.

The blonde seemed to take offense to that. "I didn't run, Hook ran. So, there's nothing more to say!"

Regina felt a pang of hurt in her heart. How could such an amazing woman like the one before her keep getting hurt by people who never even deserved her to begin with? All she wanted to do was hug the beautiful sheriff and profess her undying love to her. She knew that that was most likely not the greatest idea, and decided not to push it. She frowned at the woman before her before nodding in acquiescence and leaving. But she refused to let this go. She needed to get Emma back to her usual self. Her _real_ self.

A few hours later Regina picked up Snow and headed to the bar. She then had one of the Vikings that were playing pool call in a fake bar fight and then sat down with a martini to wait for the sheriff to arrive.

When Regina heard the bartender, ask Emma if she was sure she was at the right bar the Mayor stepped in to speak with Snow by her side. "She's sure." She sais as the blonde turned around swiftly.

"Seriously? You two called in a fake fight?"

"Fake fight, real friends. We're worried about you, Emma. You have to stop holding everything in." Regina exasperatedly stated.

"Regina is so right!" Snow said drunkenly. "Have you tried these drinks? They are supposedly, _artisanal_ which I think means  strong," She crooned as she handed Emma a beer.

Emma looked at her mother wide eyed as she took the offered drink before she turned to Regina and spoke. "How many has she had?"

"If you can believe it, that's her first," Regina said amusedly.

Just as Regina finished her sentence, Snow passed out and fell into Emma's arms. The blonde caught her mother and looked to Regina. "Why don't we call David, since he must be up now that Mom is asleep, have him pick her up and then we can.. Talk.. I guess" She suggested with an awkward arch of her lips.

Regina felt her heart flutter. She was undeniably excited to finally have alone time with Emma, without having to make up an excuse.

As Regina sat and waited for Emma, she began wondering if she should admit her feelings right then or wait for Emma to get over Hook. She knew that Emma was hurt because she once again felt abandoned, but she didn't quite believe the sheriff was hurting because she loved the worthless pirate, so she was excruciatingly convicted. The mayor sat there arguing with herself internally until she felt a hand on her shoulder that startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around to see Emma looking at her with an amused look on her face. "You okay? You looked like you were constipated." The blonde chortled as she sat down and gestured to the bartender for a drink.

Regina smiled warmly to the woman. She loved Emma's humor, and the former queen was more than thankful that she was starting to dress and act more herself now that Captain Guyliner was out of the picture _finally_. "Yes, dear. I am perfectly okay. I'm just worried about you." Regina said. It's not a lie… She was concerned about the beautiful sheriff, but she was also terrified that if she drank, she was going to spill the truth about how she felt and ruin their friendship.

Emma looked at her with so much appreciation and care that it made Regina's heart melt in her chest, and she was sure that if she were standing at that moment, her knees would've given out.

"Thanks, Gina. I just.. it sucks." Emma admitted as she took a sip of her drink.

Regina's heart went from filled with happiness because the real Emma was starting to come back, to filled with rage that the damned pirate had enough gumption to hurt the most amazing woman in all the realms. Regina nodded her head to show that she understood.

"I just. I guess that I'm not going to get my happy ending. I don't need it though. Not really. I mean I have Henry.. And my parents. It's not the same as having a significant other, but it's better than what I had while I was growing up, and while I was living alone in Boston." She said as she stared blankly at the counter. "Honestly I just want to be enough for someone. I'm not good enough for my family. They're always pushing me to be 'better' to do more, to be like them. They wanted me to be with Hook so badly, they practically threw me at him, and I felt like if I didn't date him, then I'd be a disappointment to them. I did start to care for him kinda, but I don't know… It was never like what my parents have, or like what I had with Neal before he abandoned me. Henry is never satisfied. I'm his mom, yes, but he always acts like if I do one thing that's for me, and he doesn't like then I'm this horrible monster and am incredibly selfish. I love my family, but they all expect so much from me, and I am so tired, Regina. I'm not enough for my parents, I'm not enough for Henry, and I was... well, too much for Hook. I just don't get it. At least I have you though, right?" Emma finished with a slight smile oh her face. "I've always just been Emma to you, and I couldn't be more thankful."

Regina's heart felt like it burst at its seams with joy. Emma was thankful for her. That's more than she could've ever asked for. Should she try her luck? Not yet. She needed to be sure that she wouldn't mess up anything between them even if her feelings were unrequited.

"You're thankful for me?" Regina asked bewildered.

Emma chuckled lightly. "Absolutely, Regina. Who was the only one who actually decided to comfort me when they realized that I was hurt by Hook just up and leaving? Who was the one who didn't fall for my 'I'm okay' act? You. You're the best, Gina. I'm so thankful to have you as my best friend. You're the absolute greatest."

Although Emma referring to them as best friends stung, everything else the blonde had said filled Regina with so much jubilation she had to fight back the urge to stand up on the counter and dance. "No, Emma. _You're_ the greatest. Being a part of your life is an outright honor, and anyone who can't see that is utterly blind." Regina admitted confidently. "Our son, your idiot parents, and I all know that."

The blonde laughed this time. A real laugh that took Regina's breath away. "I think you're drunk, Regina. There's no way you'd say that if you weren't."

Regina frowned. She wasn't drunk, actually, she was completely sober because she hadn't even taken a sip of her drink. She was too busy arguing with herself over whether she should just admit everything to Emma, and get it over with.

"Actually, Em. I've not even tasted alcohol tonight." She admitted sheepishly.

Emma furrowed her brow. "What? The alcohol was your idea. If you didn't want drinks, we could've done something else."

Regina felt her heart flutter. Emma was willing to spend time with her without alcohol to make her presence more bearable. She saw her as a friend. Did that mean she enjoyed spending time with her? "Um. May I. May I ask you a question?" Regina asked hesitantly.

"You just did," Emma laughed. "But sure."

Regina grinned at Emma's returning humor before she took a deep breath and asked her question. "Do you remember when you promised to help me find my happy ending?"

Emma frowned as she nodded. "Yes, of course, I do, and I intend to keep that promise. I know it's been quite a few months since we've made any progress on finding it, and I'm so sorry for that, but I still plan to find it for you. I never go back on my promises, Regina. I _will_ find your happy ending." The blonde said sincerely as guilt crept into her expression.

Regina gulped nervously and then began to talk. "What if I were to tell you that I've already found it?" She murmured.

Emma raised her brows. "You've met someone?"

Regina nodded hesitantly. "Indeed I have, but I'm terrified to tell them how I feel."

Emma nodded in response. "I understand that. Rejection stings like a bitch. I strongly disbelieve that anyone would turn you down though."

Regina's heart swelled at the sweetness Emma was showing her. "Trust me, dear. This one is much too good for me, but I am deeply in love, and have no idea how to tell them."

Emma shook her head. "No one is too good for you, Gina."

Regina smiled softly but felt the ache in her heart at knowing that the blonde didn't realize that the person Regina was in love with was her, and that that was the only reason she currently thought that. Everyone knew that there was no one out there good enough for the sheriff, especially not herself, or the One Handed Wonder.

"Why don't you just practice on me?" Emma asked as if it was an obvious and standard solution. "I did say I would help in any way I can, so if you're up for it, let's practice."

Regina frowned and gulped down the lump in her throat. "I don-"

"Come on, Regina. It'll be perfectly fine. If you want to get this right, then you have to practice. Practice makes perfect." Emma said with a wink.

Regina nodded in acceptance. She may never be able to actually tell, Emma, but this was a close second. She took a deep breath and began. "I-I'm madly in love with you, and I would be honored if you'd give me a chance to earn your love."

Emma smiled a half smile. "It sounds like this mystery-crush is perfect. You seem to be deeply in love."

Regina nodded sadly.

Emma puckered her lips in thought for a moment before giving advice. "Look them in the eyes, and don't beg. You are Regina Mills; no one is perfect enough to cause you to gravel."

Regina shook her head. "This one... I'd go to the depths of Hell to earn their love. I'd do anything for them." She admitted.

Emma raised her brows high in surprise. "Wow, I.. I never expected to ever hear that from you about anyone but Henry. You never even spoke that way about Robin Hood."

Regina flinched at the mention of the thief. She'd admit that she cared deeply for the man, but her feelings for him were nothing compared to how she had always felt about Emma. Even when she tried to be happy with Robin she had been in love with the blonde. "I've never felt this way for anyone. Not for Daniel, and definitely not for Robin."

Emma pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "Okay. I get that. Why don't you practice a few more times? Maybe it will fill you with some confidence that you need to tell them for real?"

Regina gave her a weak smile before nodding in submission, and clearing her throat so she could start the roleplay that wasn't quite a play.

"Hey." Regina started maladroitly.

Emma smiled and plugged her nose so she could speak in a goofy voice. "Hello, Regina."

Regina rolled her eyes playfully as she continued. "I need to tell you something, and I hope this doesn't hinder our friendship if this goes the way I suspect it will."

Emma continued to speak in her nasally voice. "I wouldn't be a true friend if I let it. What's is it?"

Regina looked Emma in the eyes as she spoke. "I'm in love with you. I have been for years, but I've been too cowardly to tell you, but now I have an opportunity to, and I can't pass it up, so I am asking you if you would give me a chance."

Emma smiled and clapped her hands as she reverted to her normal voice. "Good job, Gina that was perfect! Go and tell them!" The sheriff encouraged.

Regina's heart broke immediately… Emma hadn't caught on. "I just did."

Emma corrugated her brows as she looked behind her searching for someone that Regina could be in love with before turning back to the Mayor. "Regina, no one's over here but us. Clearly, you didn't tell them yet." Emma laughed.

Regina sighed. "I know who's here."

Emma squinted her left eye analytically. "Okay…"

Regina fought back her tears. "Promise me that nothing could ever make you stop being my friend, Emma."

Emma looked absolutely stunned as she reassured Regina. "Well, as long as you don't revert back to the Evil Queen, or hurt someone for no reason, I'd have no reason to." She said with a comforting smile.

"Everything else is forgivable?" Regina asked nervously.

Emma looked at the former Regal with confusion all over her face. "Well, yes, I suppose so but-"

Regina quickly cut the blonde off by pressing her lips against the sheriff's. She stayed like that for a moment before the shocked woman pulled away and looked at the brunette with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?" She asks in confusion.

Regina's heart was aching. The blonde had pulled back without returning the kiss, and she looked absolutely mortified. "It was a kiss… A very ill-advised one. I'm so sorry, Emma." She frowned tearfully as she stared at the counter.

"When you told me you just admitted your love to the mystery crush. You actually meant it, didn't you? It was... _Is_ me?"

Regina was now willing her tears to stop falling as she nodded to the blonde preparing herself for the most painful rejection she would ever feel.

Emma got off of the stool she was sitting on and crossed the bar. Regina could feel her heart breaking as she watched the blonde leave. She stopped fighting her tears and started openly crying as she put her face in her palms. She stayed that way for a few moments until she heard Emma's voice right behind her.

"Regina Mills, may I have this dance?" Emma asked as a slow song began to play throughout the pub.

Regina turned around with tear stained cheeks and widened eyes. She wasn't expecting this. Her heart filled with so much hope she couldn't even speak.

As soon as Emma saw the tears that Regina was crying she scooped Regina up in her arms. "Oh, Gina. You thought… You thought you could tell me something like that and I could do anything but choose you? I never even knew you were an option or I would have chosen you so much sooner." Emma said.

Regina looked into Emma's eyes to search for any sign of insincerity but found none. She couldn't stop herself from slamming her lips into the blonde's soft, luscious pale ones once more. This time Emma kissed her back, and she didn't feel anything but happiness. "I love you so much, Emma Swan. I know you're my happy ending, is there any chance that I could be yours?" She muttered against the sheriff's soft lips.

Emma smiled. "You're everything, Regina. I love you, too."

Regina's eyes widened as she looked to the savior stunned. "Really? I never thought this love would be reciprocated." She admitted. "I thought, maybe you felt adoration and a bit of attraction towards me, but not that you'd love me in return."

Emma looked at her with a frown. "I realized that, but I don't understand it." She admitted.

The mayor who was still holding onto Emma like a lifeline looked at the blonde with confusion all over her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Regina come on. I've saved your life, and I've put you before myself since the first day we met. I've protected you from the town, and I've sacrificed myself to the darkness to save you from it. You say you'd do anything for me? Well, I'd do anything for you as well. If you thought any differently, you were sorely mistaken." Emma declared. ""I didn't expect you to love me for it in return, I didn't expect anything in return from it at all, I hope you know that. I did, however, think that you would at least get the idea that I cared deeply for you because of it."

Regina looked into Emma's eyes and beamed at the woman. "I'm an idiot. I should've seen it." She said.

Emma nodded. "Yes, Madame Mayor, you should have. We both should have, really."

Regina nodded through her joyful tears. "We should have. I love you so very much, Emma. Will you be mine?"

Emma grinned widely as she pulled Regina to the dance floor. "Only if you'll be mine."

Regina tightened her embrace she currently had the younger woman in and whispered in her ear. "That sounds marvelous. You have yourself a deal."

Both women smiled at each other as they started dancing together to the romantic song playing. They knew now that they've both finally found their happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you enjoyed! :)


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